A man believed to have taken part in Islamic State-led executions in Syria had been found living in Malta with fake documents last year, sources told Times of Malta.  

The Hungarian press this week reported how prosecutors in Budapest on Monday filed charges against a Syrian national alleged to have been a member of the Islamic State terrorist organisation.

Hassan Farhoud, 27, was arrested in Hungary in March of this year. He now faces a possible life sentence for crimes against humanity.  

According to court documents cited by the Hungarian press, Mr Farhoud is believed to have ordered multiple executions, including the beheadings of family members of men who refused to join IS, in Syria back in 2016. 

He has protested his innocence.

Ten other people including witnesses have also been questioned in Malta and Belgium, according to EU cross-border justice agency Eurojust. 

An investigation by Hungary’s counter-terrorism force is coordinating with other EU member states, including Malta, Belgium and Greece.

Alleged terrorist's Malta connection 

Police sources on Wednesday told Times of Malta that Mr Farhoud had been living in Malta for "some time". 

In 2018 Mr Farhoud was given a six-month prison sentence suspended for two years by a Maltese court after he was found living on the island with forged documents.

Mr Farhoud had been caught using a fake Italian ID card and was ordered by the Maltese court to leave the island immediately.  

At the time, there was no indication anywhere in Europe that Mr Farhoud had ties to Islamic State. 

A police source confirmed that they had been in touch with their Hungarian counterparts over the case in recent months. 

“Yes, we have shared information about a number of persons residing in Malta that are of interest to our colleagues in Hungary. This is standard procedure in such cases,” the source said.  

After his arrest in Malta, Mr Farhoud left for Greece where he was once again caught with forged documents and charged with, among other things, human trafficking, the source added. 

Greek authorities had also been in touch with the Maltese police in recent months, the police officer said.